You just can't catch a break in Bell, can you? First there was the LA Times investigation that discovered that the City of Bell,CA, city officials were getting some of the highest salaries in the nation, after which they were accused of nasty misappropriation of public funds.
Of course, when the populace is so apathetic and uneducated that only 1% of them voted in the election, these kinds of oversights and mishaps are bound to happen from time to time.
Today, the LA Times reported that for at least 8 years, the City of Bell has been seizing vehicles for imaginary code violations, and then telling the owners that they had to pay various fees.
Normally, such cases would be reviewed by a judge to ensure that they had been settled fairly. But the vast majority of these cases do not appear to have been presented to a court.
The LA Times doesn't stop after explaining this fraud and lack of due process. The article continues:
A number of those caught up in the enforcement efforts were struggling to get by.
Of course, the income of those having been bamboozled by these fake charges has nothing to do with the illegal activity of the City of Bell; these unlawful shakedowns by the city would offend and penalize both rich and poor.
But that's the LA Times for you: if there are any low-income people connected with a story, the uber-liberal Times will point them out, as if they have more feelings and are more vulnerable than other citizens. Who knows, perhaps they hope that readers will get emotional and vote for more social services!
Bell, CA cartoon
California cartoonist Bill Schorr was right on top of the situation with this funny Bell cartoon. Online, most cartoons look better in color, and even the cratchety "classic" editorial cartoonists are beginning to work in color now, but black and white for prison works just fine! The vertical jail bar stripes also look good with the horizontal captions, so thanks, Bill.
You can find more Bill Schorr cartoons here, and if you wonder what will happen to this council, you might want to check out this scary cartoon.
Am I right about the LA Times, or am I right?
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